Composition for improving lace-leather



NI'IED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS JUNIOR, OF BELLEVILLE, ILLINOIS.

COMPOSITION FOR IMPROVlNG'LACB-LEATHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 253,210, dated February 7, 1882.

Application filed August 8,1881. (No specimens.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LoUis JUNIOR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Belleville, in the county of St-.Olair and State oflllinois, have invented a new and useful composition of matter to be used in the process of tanning to make lace-leather strong, elastic, and durable, of which composition the following is a specification.

My composition consists of the following ingredients, combined in the proportions stated, viz: for every ten pounds ofhide-pure water, five gallons; alum, one pound; sal-soda, four ounces; common salt,fourounces; wheat-bran, (or other bran,) four ounces. Of these ingredients the crystalline salts should be thoroughly dissolved and mingled by agitation with the bran. I

In using the abovedescribed composition the hides must go through the following processes, viz:

First. Soak the hides in fresh water for twenty-four hours.

Second. Soak the hides in freshly-slakedlime water as long as necessary to make the hair removable by scraping.

Third. Put the unhaired hides into fresh lime-water once more for two days.

Fourth. Scrape off all fleshy parts on the inside; then soak the hides in fresh water to free them from all lime.

Fifth. Then rub the hides with a slickstone, in order to smooth or burnish them and to squeeze out all impurities.

Sixth. Soak the hides for about twelve hours in warm water, containing one pound of wheatbran and one-half pound of a ferment to every five gallons of water, until the hides cease to swell and all lime is neutralized.

Seventh. Then squeeze them well with the scrape-iron.

Eighth. Immerse the hides in the above and first-described composition, in which they are to remain for from twelve to twenty-four hours, till the hides are well penetrated (saturated) by the compound; then take them out and hang them up to dry. (The application of this solution in tanning in connection with my other treatment of the hides has the effect of pre serving the whole natural strength of the same, which is possible only in the absence of free acids.)

Ninth. Now work them well on the stretch bench and split them evenly on the splittingmachine.

Tenth. Rub into the hidesa mixture of about three pounds of lard-oil and one pound of tallow, andlet dry well. (The proportions of lardoil and tallow change a little,according to the temperature of the season, so that more tallow and less oil is used in summer than in winter. The exact proportions cannot be prescribed.)

Eleventh. Soak in rain water containing bran, and in this wet state stretch the hides well on the stretch-bench.

Twelfth. Now shave them as clean as possible on the flesh side, and especially carefully on the grain side, in order to remove the whole grain, which removal produces the elasticity which distinguishes my lace-leather from any other and prevents the liability of cracking.

Thirteenth. Then, finally, rub into the hides a mixture ofone and one-halt'pound oflard-oil, one-halfpound of tallow, and one-eighth pound of fine flour for every ten pounds ofhide, (which process helps to produce smoothness and durability ofthe leather,) let them dry, then stretch and smooth them well with a wooden stretcher, and now the hides are ready for use.

I consider it amain feature of my process or style of tanning that there are no free acids used, and that, as a consequence of that fact, together with the other treatment, the hides keep their full natural strength, smoothness, and elasticity.

I am aware that some, perhaps all, the ingredients constituting. the alum composition (the only onelclaim) are used in tanning; but I am not aware that all of theseingredients have been used together and in the propor- LOUIS JUNIOR.

Witnesses:

I J OSEPH TROLL,-

FREDERICK BEOH'IOLD. 

